Bill would open voting to some 17-year-olds

They could vote in the primary as long as they turn 18 by the following general election.

Vo says it makes sense for young people to have the right in the spring to select the party nominees they will be voting on in the fall.

“Too many young citizens who have the right to vote in November lack the right to determine who will be on that ballot in March,” Vo said. “It’s time to enfranchise voters who are already on the verge of becoming politically active anyway.”

HB 513 would change state law to allow otherwise eligible voters in elections for state and county officials to register to vote in a primary election provided that they will be 18 years old on or before the date of the corresponding general election.

The measure would require voter approval in a statewide constitutional amendment in November. The first primary election in which soon-to-be 18-year-olds could vote would be the general election scheduled for Nov. 2, 2010.

About half of the states currently allow 17-year-old primary voting, including Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia.